A Journey from a Different World
by Akashru
Summary: This is an Self Insert story. I wrote a few other stories and found that I could not continue writing without thinking about him as me and what I would do in such a situation. So I thought, might as well make it a Self Insert story. This is set in Kanto and is an AU. Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Pokemon Fanfiction** : A journey from a different world

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own pokemon fanfiction.

 **A.N: I was writing a different fic. But as I continued, I felt weird to write it in Ash's point of view when I was always imagining myself in his place. Over time, I lost interest to write that fic. This is an attempt to make that fic better. Only this will be an SI. I hope to do justice to this.**

 **A word of warning, although this fic is light hearted, it deals with a lot of issues like what it means to be a pokemon master, how do pokemon and humans interact etc. which can give it dark undertones at times. For those looking to read up on the journey of Ash, this is not the fic. But the rest should be fine. It is based in Kanto with very familiar pokemon and people.**

Chapter 1: The beginning

I was watching my life flash in front of my eyes in the millisecond I took for the bullet to hit me on the forehead. It is funny how such a seemingly short time can be so vast. I was not done with life. Hell, I was only twenty-five. I did not do much, achieve much, there was a lot left in my bucket list.

All those dreams end because of one drunk gunman who killed me thinking I was the person who stole away his ex-gf. I most certainly did not. For one, the names of the girls don't match. Secondly, the girl I was dating was one I was dating for a long time, much before he claimed to be dating her, so it is not the same girl. But explaining that to a drunk person was not going to be of any help.

I watched my life fast forward, from my earliest memories from class 1 to my current scenario. My parents, brother, relatives, girlfriend, all my friends and my teachers, everyone passed in front of my eyes and then suddenly the bullet caught up. I was dead and there was no feeling. It was as if one second the power was on and then the next second someone cut all the power and there is no processing possible in the brain.

It was weird. But then I stopped. I was feeling weird, which meant I was feeling. This was certainly not what I expected when I felt the bullet hit my head. Then slowly I could feel someone trying to nudge me awake.

I was shocked. To the best of my knowledge, it was not possible to survive a bullet wound directly to the forehead. And I knew for a fact that no one saved me. I was on plain old earth, no super heroes, no miraculous powers, so there was no way I could have survived a bullet wound to the forehead. But I could feel being nudged. I tried to feel my body and open my eyes. Slowly, or what seemed slowly to my mind I started registering the presence of a body and control over it and then slowly I opened my eyes.

The first thing I could see was a lot of bright light. The second thing I could see was a leafy canopy directly above me. Then and only then did I notice a hand on my shoulder. I looked to see a police office in blue with blue hair. She seemed familiar for some reason and looked good to the eyes. I was a twenty-five-year-old male after all and I was sure that I was not in any place I knew because this did not seem like earth. It felt too pure if one can explain that, as if the huge technology, huge population and a lot of garbage did not happen at all.

I looked at her and she asked "Are you ok kid?"

I immediately got an affronted look on my face thinking " _Who is she calling kid?"_

Then I paid attention to my surroundings and realised that everything seemed higher than it normally did. She was taller than she seemed and I was a pretty tall guy so either she is extremely tall or I have grown smaller.

I started panicking. I did not know what happened. Who could change age? I looked back at her and asked "Where am I? Who am I?"

She looked a little troubled at that and said "Calm down kid. Don't move too much. What is the last thing you remember?"

I said "The last thing I remember is a bullet through my forehead. Who are you? Where am I?" I knew I should not have said that but I could not help it. I was in a weird place where my age was changed and I had somehow survived a bullet wound to my head, which upon further touching I realised was non-existent, and dumped into a very green place in front of a very familiar police officer whom I just could not place currently.

She said "Calm down kid. I am officer Jenny. You are in Marko village. It is a small village between viridian city and vermillion city. What do you mean a bullet to the head?"

I gaped the moment she said officer Jenny. I finally placed her. She was the police officer in the pokemon world. The one who had clones or almost clones of her in every police station in the pokemon world. This was only further confirmed when I heard viridian city and vermillion city. They were two famous places. One held the eighth gym while the other held Lt. Surge. I was in the pokemon world as a kid. I did not know much about the world.

Sure, as a kid I used to watch a lot of pokemon and even played all the games till emerald but I lost interest from the Sinnoh region. Once the Sinnoh region started airing, I stopped watching and playing pokemon and the only source of information that I had was fanfiction which I still read. But I never thought I would be here. Then I realised that I had a new start. Sure, I died but I am living in the pokemon world. I always wanted to go on a journey and show these people how it was done.

But I also realised that there was a lot I needed to learn. I did not have any details about the world itself, as well as when I was w.r.t the timeline. The easiest way to find out would be to go to Professor Oak's place and to know the age of Ash and Gary. But first, who was I in this world. I turned to Jenny who was peacefully waiting seeing that I was thinking and did not seem too tensed.

I said "I assume that there are pokemon all over this place?"

Jenny looked a little surprised and said "I guess. I do not see any currently but yes, on the way back we should be able to see some pokemon."

I sighed and looked older for a second. Jenny got a little suspicious and cautious. When she gestured for me to start talking I said "I am not from this world. I am from a different world where I died from a bullet wound from the head due to a drunk person. Hi, my name is Akhil. This world was only a story in my world. I do not know how I ended up here or who I am in this world. I also do not have any resources. I would appreciate it if it were possible to lead me to a good source of information regarding this world and pokemon as well as a method to gain some resources to live."

Seeing such advanced vocabulary from a what seemed to be eight-year-old she asked "Say I believe you. How old were you in your world?"

I replied saying "I was twenty-five in my world."

Officer Jenny nodded a little since there was at least some explanation for the advanced vocabulary and diction even if it was a very outlandish one. She said "And what can you tell me to believe you? Also, how did you end up here?"

I said "I do not know, officer Jenny. Like I said, the last thing I remember is a bullet wound to the head and then you nudging me awake. There was no conversation with some extra dimensional entity if that is what you are looking for. I also do not know who I am in this world, whether a body was made for me or if I am inhabiting someone else's, how I landed up in this place. I have never heard of a Marko village in all my time learning about the pokemon world. This is new to me also. Could we discuss this at a more comfortable place and is there a way to find out if I have a home or a family?"

At that Jenny seemed to come to a decision. She said "Well, the way you speak is too advanced for an 8-year-old child. So, I will believe you but you still haven't given me any information that you would not have access to for me to confirm it."

I asked "What information would make you believe it? I only have information from when the grandson of Professor Oak starts his journey. Before that I can only guess. I have a lot of information but most of it is after that time and I do not know how it is before that time. But I will attempt to tell you all I know. Would the names of the gym leaders and their types be confidential enough for you?"

Officer jenny said "Nope, that information is available on the various pokemon helper websites online. I am looking for something more."

I said "Look, I can confirm something with professor Oak that no one else knows about except for him. He will be able to vouch for me for that. This is not information that depends on the age of his grandson. Will that satisfy you?"

Officer Jenny said "You sound confident that no one knows this information."

I said "I am not sure if anyone else does, but the only people who would know this information are people who professor Oak trusts implicitly. I should be vouched for anyway if I am one of those. If I am not, then it shows that I got this information because of coming from a different place. Would that be enough?"

Officer Jenny thought a little and then said "Yea kid, that should be fine. Can you move?"

I stood up experimentally and started moving. Once I could move a little I said "Yes Officer, I can move. Shall we be on our way?"

Officer Jenny gave me a funny look and said "You need a new pair of clothes. And a check-up in the pokemon centre."

I shrugged and said "Sure, I don't mind either."

We started walking. I was mentally planning on what I was going to do. I realised that I wanted to be a champion. They paid a lot of money for winning that tournament. Then once done, I can just train pokemon and travel peacefully. The ultimate challenge is winning all the leagues one after another. To do that I needed some good pokemon. I always came up with this dilemma, should I catch a lot of pokemon and then train them up each or should I catch a few pokemon and focus on making them stronger. I usually go with the few pokemon approach in the games and that is how I decided to play this. I had a new life. I could play it how I wanted. But first, I need to find out how to become a trainer. What tests to qualify if any, what license is required, how is it funded etc.

I also needed to find out what I would be doing till I became a trainer since I needed to survive somehow. With this in mind I asked Jenny "Hey officer, can you tell me if there is a way to find out if I have any relations or if I am an orphan in this world? Also, how will I be living here if I do not have cash or whatever passes for it in this world?"

Jenny smiled and said "The equivalent for cash in this world is pokedollars. As for the rest, do not worry. There are orphanages all over the place to support orphans and yes there is a way to find out if you are related to someone. Should the worst come to the worst, I will take you in myself provided you earn your keep. Help out around the house i.e cook, clean and other simple house hold chores and I will pay for your food and stuff."

I said "I do not have a problem with that deal officer. I am perfectly willing to do the household chores. But wont paying for me be costly? I mean I want to be a pokemon trainer. That will require a lot of stuff, right?"

Officer Jenny said "Yes, you will need to pass a test to be accepted as a trainer. Your starter depends on if you have a sponsor who took a liking to you or your test marks. The higher the test marks, the better the starter. The best starter that can be given out is the Kanto trio which are Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. But as a consequence, very few people have those starters in the first place."

I said "Wont it be costly to pay for all this as well as pay for learning material?"

Jenny said "There is easily available learning material on the internet for anyone who wants to learn. That should bring you up to speed with all the requirements for the pokemon tests. If what you say is true, then you should not have a problem in the more academic subjects except history. But you might have issues with camping and more pokemon items related subjects."

I said "Yes, mostly. When can I give this test? An is there an encyclopaedia for each individual pokemon that can be researched?"

Officer Jenny said "Yes, there is. It is all available on the internet. That is not a worry. Also, the cost is not much. I earn a decent amount of money and would gladly pay for you if you are willing to do my household chores in exchange. I feel too tired to do anything by the time I return from office. I also put in a request for a new Growllithe that I need. This place is very out of the way and no one ever comes here. So, most of the local D-Rank missions are done by me which makes me very tired."

I asked "D-Rank missions? You mean stuff like cleaning places, moving weak pokemon from one place to another etc. that trainers can do to earn small amounts of money?"

Jenny said "Yes, you have heard about it?"

I said "Not in the original story but it was something that people thought up when writing stories about your story."

Jenny frowned a little and said "This is not a story anymore . We are alive and I live here. You need to understand that."

I said "I agree officer Jenny. I understand that but for some time till I get used to this, it is going to be a part of a story. I will always compare it to the pokemon stories I read and saw when I was a kid. I am not treating you'll as objects. You are living people to me but right now it is all too new to me. I need to learn about the world and about its politics and ways. Only then can I begin to become a trainer."

Officer Jenny said "That is ok. So long as you realise that it is real lives you are playing with."

Officer Jenny gained a thoughtful look on her face. One which said that she had just grasped an implication of what she was going to do and she did not like it. She stopped and saw a tree stump and a rock nearby. She motioned for us to get there and she sat down on the stump while motioning me to do the same on the rock. Once I sat down she looked at me carefully with experienced eyes and said "I need to know this. Are you telling the truth that you do not know who you are in this world? Answer only in yes and know and answer immediately."

I looked at her wondering what brought this on and she stopped being patient and said "Answer immediately kid."

I instantly said "Yes Officer.."

She interrupted me and said "Only yes and no. Do you want to be a pokemon trainer?"

I said "Yes."

She asked "Do you know why you came here?"

I said "No."

She asked "Do you have any ill intentions of any manner?"

I said "No" with a slightly affronted look on my face.

She said "Do you mind working for me in the manner I proposed and the payment plan?"

I said "No."

She sighed and said "Look, I don't know why I did not think of this sooner. Even if you are from another world, you claim to know a secret that one of the most powerful people in our world kept from everyone else. Something he did not want to see the light of day. And your idea of proving it is to talk to him? One word from him is enough to destroy your entire pokemon career."

I said "But professor Oak is always shown as a nice person."

She said "In a kid's show. We are not in a kid's show anymore. Everyone is a little bad. It only depends on what is bad and whether that is considered bad compared to the good he is doing. And you can be sure that professor Oak is doing a lot of good. I really do not want to trouble him and get his attention onto you and me with this. I would rather live a peaceful life and keep you till you are ready to begin your trainer journey."

I considered what she said and asked "But can you find out who I am in this world?"

She said "Sure, I need a little bit of your DNA and I will push it through the database to find out the closest relatives you have in our database. I will also check the nearby towns and villages for a missing person's report matching your description. Let's just say that I believe you and I do not want Professor Oak's attention on my village and my life."

I asked her "Is that ok? Wont you be in trouble?"

She said "No I wont. I am going to do everything I can to find your family. I just am not going to highlight that you are from a different world and it would be good if you also do not do the same."

I sighed and said "I am sorry. Normally I would not have even told you but I don't know what came over me then. I just had to tell someone. You know. So, I did. I will keep it a better secret from now on."

She looked at me with serious and searching eyes and then she nodded her head saying "That is good. Now let us be on our way. Marko village is close by and I really need to get back into a little shape and start learning what I forgot if I need to train that growlithe I requested."

I said "I also need to learn about pokemon. Would it be ok if I trained the growlithe in my off time?"

She looked a little sad and said "It will be fine but only after I am sure that you won't be hurting it. So only after a proficiency test. Study a lot, as much as possible and graduate the test. The earlier you graduate you pokemon trainers license examination, the earlier I can let you begin to train and catch pokemon although you will not be allowed to journey or be given money that you can use outside of Marko village until you are 10 years old."

I just nodded saying "Don't you worry. I will work as much as possible to graduate as soon as possible." Inside I was thinking that she said that I could not train her growlithe. She did not say anything about me not training my own pokemon. I could catch one pokemon and train that one pokemon till I graduated my trainer's license. Being 25 had benefits in that I could learn most of the stuff easily and graduate sooner as opposed to when I am a kid and did not have the time-span.

Then I realised that in this world, I am a kid and I physically had a lot of problems, it was just that being 25 mentally helped. I instantly had to begin the routine that I got into over time, once I finished my college. Exercise, yoga, sudarshan kriya and meditation every morning. I need to get back into shape physically and possibly get into better physical shape than previously. I was going out camping and travelling in the wild. I needed to be in the best shape possible to do that. But before that, I needed to learn everything I can about the pokemon world as well as make myself and my pokemon strong. I was going to dominate and win a tournament. The money from that would help greatly. Atleast, I hoped they were going to give me money for winning a tournament.

We walked for some time. Almost an hour. In this duration I saw a few pokemon nearby. An eager ratatta ran out of the bushes in front of me while a few pidgey were on the tree branches watching us move slowly. I was very happy and in awe. This more than anything pushed it into me that I was in the world of pokemon. And that soon, I would be having one of those pokemon as my friends and we would become the strongest there is.

I think I will go for the goal of master. I was always inspired by how Ash said he would be pokemon master. I never understood what master meant. I assume it is having a knowledge and a way with all the different kinds of pokemon. Or being able to understand pokemon on an instinctive level. Or it can even mean being able to win all the major pokemon competitions.

I do not know what it meant. But I wanted to be one. I initially set my goals on the indigo league and becoming its winner. That is my goal.

While all this was happening in my head, we finally reached the house of Officer Jenny in Marko village. She took me home and said "This is my house. I have one spare key and I will make another and give it to you. The village is small and has only around 25 buildings along with huge lawns or farms etc. Memorize the house and then I will show you where the pokemon center and the police station is.

Finally I will show you where the mart is. After all this, we are going to be headed to the pokemon center to get your check up done. Only after that will I begin to let you explore the world of pokemon on the internet.

And this started a very huge and boring walk around the village. The world stuck to the stereotypes. The mart had a blue ceiling while the pokemon center had a red one. They had the poke symbol on the doors. Most other places were houses. Some people waved while others went about their business. I was getting the impression that since it was a small town, everyone knew everyone else.

I went to joy who after talking a little to Officer JEnny, took a little of my blood in one test tube while a little more of it in another test tube. Then she proceeded to give me a general health checkup by making me go through a range of motions, asked me how I was feeling about various actions that were being taken and checking my reflexes. I was annoyed. She also told Jenny that she would test my blood for problems and vaccines as well as run the DNA check that Jenny had asked for.

Once this was done, Jenny took me back to her place while collecting a bag of clothes about my size from joy and told me to clean myself up. I enjoyed the feeling of a warm bath and when I came out in a towel and looked at myself in the mirror I realised that I looked a little on the skinnier side with black hair and bright brown eyes. All in all nothing vastly different. I decided that if I needed to get into travelling, I needed to get into shape and then started putting on my clothes.

Jenny and me had food after which I asked her "Hey officer.."

She interrupted me saying "At home, I am Martha."

I was a little weirded out but said "Martha, would it be all right if I could use your computer. I really need to start getting into learning about your world, about pokemon and what a trainer is expected to know."

Martha said "What a trainer is expected to know varies, but sure. I have a guest account open. You can access my system's guest account and see what happens from there. I would suggest searching for the trainer's page and reading through the materials required to study for the trainer's license."

I agreed but in my mind, I was wondering about two things. First, how fast do pokemon heal, second, whether this place had a weights or resistance training system that I read a lot about from Naruto and whether it could be incorporated here.

After all this, I wanted to read about how to earn money as a pokemon trainer and what it meant to be a pokemon trainer. Only then would I begin to look into what is required to study for the trainer's license.

I rubbed my hands together and immediately swithed on her system. Her PC looked old but it was fast and powerful. Her internet speed was much faster than mine and she had a huge amount of RAM and hard-disk space. There was also a lot of other equipment that I could not understand.

I ignored all that and went into the crux of what I was researching. I found out that yes, most pokemon healed very fast. They healed at very quick paces and this is what allowed them to train or evolve. I also read that there was a weight training and resistance training but it was not very popular since it could not be implemented on the move. While moving, the pokemon always had to be on their best. But this was not the case for me right now. I had two years before I even began my journey. Till then, I could abuse the shit out of weight and resistance training.

I was very happy. Then I read about how to earn money as a pokemon trainer. It turns out that trainers can earn money in a variety of ways. The first method is to do the various missions at each village as per requirement. There was a small payscale allotted to every mission type. The second way was to battle other trainers. The losing trainer has to pay a small amount of money to the winning trainer unless the losing trainer has only under 500$.

The third method is finishing gyms and winning tournaments. Tournaments always had cash prizes that could be won. These were the three ways that a trainer could earn money. But this came with a downside. Being a trainer was like a conscription. You were given a lot of benefits, you were also allowed to earn money but if the league ever required your services, you were required to drop everything and get to them as required. That was something that did not go over well with me. But then again, I had two years before I had to face that.

So once I was sure I wanted to be a trainer (was there any doubt to that), I decided to look into what I needed to study and found a five year course on preparing for the trainer's license. This was built for five year olds so that they could give their exam before they turned ten and it was built for their attention span. Something I had a lot more of.

I started on reading it and in the next five hours, I was done with the first year of the course. Majority of the course was math, language and about the various types of pokemon,their advantages and disadvantages.

By the time I was done with the first year, Martha came and told me that reading time was over for today and to begin work from tomorrow. She showed me a bed that I could sleep in and told me that she would wake me up the next morning. I just smiled and wished her good night.


	2. Chapter 2: The beginning of a life

**Pokemon Fanfiction: A journey from a different world**

 **A.N: A lot of people were asking me what an SI means, it means Self Insert here. I am imagining myself as a character in the pokemon world and what I would do, both the good and the bad. It is an interesting concept imagining a pokemon journey of your own, after all, as one reviewer so nicely put it, we would all like pokemon journeys of our own. I am just writing mine because I cannot live it.**

 **Chapter 2: The beginning of a life**

A new day began. I woke up and was a little surprised with my surroundings. 4 years of living in the same place does that to a person. Then after sometime recollecting, it came back to me. I was somehow transported to the pokemon world. I initially thought it was a dream but then I took in the bedroom where I was and slowly looked at myself in the mirror.

There was irrefutable proof that this is no joke. There was a tiny body in the mirror which was looking back at me like I was looking at it. This was me being given a second chance. Me being able to do many things I wish I did differently and begin to change. Me being given an opportunity to start with a clean slate. The plus side was this was also an opportunity to live out one of my childhood dreams at the same time. That of a pokemon journey and being a kickass awesome pokemon master with some kickass pokemon as my friends.

Yea, I could see the childlike energy and enthusiasm in my body. It was invigorating. I looked at the time and saw that it was still 4:30. Huh, that was good. I was still getting up per my old body schedule. Sometime during the final year in college, I realised that parties and staying up late is overrated. It was good to take time out for yourself and those few friends whom you love and who love you. This caused a drastic change in schedule where I woke up at 4:30 every morning and spent the time till 6: 30 improving myself and taking time for myself. The world came about only after 6:30 AM.

On the other hand, this also meant that I would have to sleep early and I was usually asleep by 9:30 PM to 10:00 PM. Taking some time to think things out and building a patchworked idea from the snippets of my knowledge in the previous world, I began my exercise routine. I did not know how this body would take it, so I started small. I did 3 sets of 10 push-ups, 10 squats, 50 jumps, a 30 second plank and all the usual stretches each. Then once I saw that the body could continue, I continued with the surya-namaskar. Once done, I meditated for ten minutes.

I remembered a snippet from my old life that it was good to write a diary. That was something I never had the patience to do. So, I thought I might as well start. I for the seventh time in my life began to attempt to write a diary. It helped me clear my thoughts a little. I knew what I was going to do for my journey long term, I knew roughly what I needed to know for my journey short term and how to prepare. No more procrastinating. I should start preparing for my journey soon.

Thinking that and writing it down as a reminder that could keep pushing me, I then looked around and started getting to work. I cleaned up my room and the house excluding Martha's (and it was still weird to call her that) room since she was asleep. Once done, I set things right, rifled through the kitchen for what to make for breakfast and some coffee or tea depending on what she drank. Once I was sure that I had everything ready for preparation and that only the actual making of food was remaining, I went to have a bath. Then did my kriya and started reading the newspaper that slammed on her front door.

By the time I was halfway done and it was 7:00 AM, Martha woke up and came out of her room to see that her house had changed overnight except for her room. Everything looked arranged even if not everything looked cleaner. Then she smelled coffee and instantly melted into a chair. I asked her "Morning Martha, you do not seem like a morning person. Coffee or tea? I was not sure since you had both at home."

Martha slurred and said "..Coffee…" with her head on the table.

I poured out a cup of coffee for her since I had made some for myself, yea I was not a tea person, and went back to reading the paper. The sandwiches were made and waiting on the table. She took her cup of coffee, brought the plate of sandwiches and joined me outside on the porch. There she silently had her coffee since she was not yet fully awake, while I was munching on sandwiches and reading the paper. While team rocket was snuffed, small groups were still active. Another page said something about a wild rampaging pokemon in a town near pewter city and how it had broken two houses. And so on. While the news was interesting, it was just to keep me up to date with what was happening in this world.

I was almost done with the paper, when Martha finished her coffee and was awake. She asked me "When were you up and did you do all this?" I said "Yea, I was up at 4:30 and finished my routine. The computer was in your room and you were sleeping so I did not want to disturb you. I did my exercises and then since I was done prepping for the morning, I thought I might as well get to work."

Martha said "You know, I did not expect you to be this diligent. I really should not forget that you are a 25-year-old brain in an eight-year-old body. Anyway, thank you. This is an arrangement that could definitely work and I got the hint regarding the computer being in my room. You can take it apart and set it up in the small study that I have not used for ages. You might have to clean it up though."

I said "Thank you Martha. This seems fine. Will you be cleaning your room or should I do that as well? And sure, the rest is fine with me. Also, what are plans for groceries, lunch and dinner? Do you make your lunch here or eat out? Should I go grocery shopping or will you get it on your way back?"

Martha said "Woah, slow down. This although a live in is not a couple relationship. So, calm down with setting the boundaries."

I smiled in a goofy manner saying "Sorry, I am used to doing this before I take a huge step and although I am physically a kid, mentally I am a 25-year-old living in with a very beautiful woman. Can't blame me." I shrugged and saw that she smiled at the compliment.

She said "You are a kid physically so no relationship kiddo. Secondly, sure I get it mentally so long as we are clear there is no couple business. I usually eat lunch and dinner outside since I do not have the time to make it. Grocery shopping is not much of a priority usually for this reason but I can see how this bothers you. Is there enough to make food for both of us for two days?" On seeing me nod she continued saying "That is good. I will get a list of things they have from the mart today on my way back and pick up groceries on my way back tomorrow. Should that be fine?"

I nodded and said "Sure, that is good. When do you leave for the police station and when do you return?"

Martha said "I usually leave around 8:30 AM and return around 6:00 PM. You can shift the computer today and start reading up. How long do you think you will take before you are ready for the trainer's license?"

I said "Does it matter? I am not allowed to travel till the age of 10 anyway."

Martha said "Yes it matters because you can only officially have your own pokemon once you have your trainer's license even if you are not allowed to travel. So you can begin training."

I gaped at her and said "You are serious? What if I have a pokemon before I get a trainer's license?"

She said "I would have to confiscate the pokemon. I would not give the pokemon away but you would not be able to train with it unless you have your trainer's license."

I scowled and said "That is unfair."

She smiled and said "I knew you were going to get your own pokemon when I said you cannot train my Growlithe till you get a trainer's license. I just wanted to keep you up to date. Now, how long will it take you to get one?"

I said "I don't know. I have already finished the first year lessons, out of five years, yesterday since it was made for 5 year olds. I might take a few days to be sure that I can finish the lessons."

Martha smiled and said "Good. Work hard on getting your license fast. Once you do, you are eligible for a starter pokemon and can start training your pokemon even if you can't travel. You can also earn pocket money for yourself by doing D-Rank missions around the village and ease my workload while gaining experience at the same time."

At this she smirked and I knew what she was trying to do. She wanted to ease her workload a little but at the same time she also wanted me to become a trainer faster so that I could help her more. Not that I had anything against helping her, mind you, but I wanted to make my pokemon the strongest and to do that I needed to grind. And D-rank missions cut into my grinding time.

I kept the scowl on my face and said "Sure, I am on it. I did not make lunch for today since I did not know what you would take. I will make dinner for tonight and tomorrow you will have both breakfast and lunch ready."

Martha looked a little concerned at my look and carefully said "Look, I don't know what you are assuming and scowling at me for. I am a woman of my word. You and any pokemon of yours within reason can have food and shelter on me till you turn ten. I am also providing you with the resources to study and giving you time for the same. I am only making you work for it since that builds character and it is not something that an 8-year-old trainer can't do. You need to learn how to pick up after yourself in the wild with limited resources and this will help you. I only suggested the D-Ranks so you can have some money to spend and buy stuff for your pokemon. You can reject them if you don't want to do them. Why are you scowling?"

I said "I was going to catch my own pokemon and start training that pokemon before I get my license."

Martha sighed and said "That one is non-negotiable. You can get your license early and start training your pokemon even if you do not journey, but you are not going to be training any pokemon till you get your license. Am I absolutely clear on this one?"

I sighed in defeat and said "Sure, we understand each other. Don't worry about the house hold chores. I don't mind. I actually like it since I want to earn my keep. I'll go move the computer now if there is nothing else." Seeing Martha shake her head, I said "Buh bye. Have a nice day. I'll have dinner ready for us and don't forget the grocery list."

Saying this, I went to Martha's room to see it already somewhat clean. I started disconnecting the PC and moving it slowly to the hall. While I was doing this, Martha was getting ready for the day. I managed to get the PC moved and up and running by the time she was done. She came and set up an account for me on the PC and then waved bye and left. She looked good when she did that. I sighed thinking ' _Only if I were older'_.

I went back to reading. After Martha dropped the bombshell that I could not have a pokemon to train, even a wild one, till I get my trainer's license, I started to begin studying seriously. I wanted to be done with the bare essentials for a trainer's license within one week. I may not qualify for a Charmander or Squirtle but I believe that strong rare pokemon are available either when you are lucky or when you grow and have enough contacts to get them. I personally believed that each pokemon is as good as the trainer is. One can train and fight better with a pokemon that matches their style of thinking. I had a few pokemon in mind which I felt matched my style of fighting but I also knew that I need to diversify a little because otherwise it will be my downfall.

So, with a list in mind, I started to study for the trainer's license. I kept studying till the afternoon and then took a break to make myself a small roll. I avoided the meat for two reasons, 1) I am a vegetarian in that I do not eat meat. I eat eggs sure but no meat. This I will have to change when I travel since if I am gathering in the wild and hunting in the wild I might have to eat meat. The second reason is that because of being a vegetarian I do not know how to cook meat. I will have to learn from Martha on her off days.

I made myself the roll and went back to studying. By the time it was around 5:00 PM, I was done with the second-year syllabus and got an 87% in the test that tested both the first and second year syllabus. Such a high score put me in the level just below charmander, squirtle and bulbasaur as a choice. I took another break and started on dinner. Once dinner was ready, I put it in the fridge and went back to studying for the third year.

Martha came back when I was a little way into my third year of study. She had a surprised expression on her face when I noticed her standing behind me. I asked her "How long ago did you come?"

Martha said "I was standing here for about 15 minutes. How come you did not notice?"

I smiled and said "I have a bad habit where I get too focussed in what I am doing. I wanted to get the trainers license as soon as possible so studied for it as hard as possible. Got lost in that."

Martha said "How are you finishing so fast? I get that this is somewhat simple because it is made for kids and that you have some knowledge about the world beforehand, but you still should not have been able to get to third year syllabus in half a day."

I was surprised and asked her "How did you know it is third year syllabus? There is no indicator of that anywhere."

Martha said "I also graduated it to get the trainer's license. We, like you trainers, have to review it once every five years. Apart from that, I needed to write a test to get my Growlithe approved. All of this meant that I had to read for the test the same way you had to. I did the exact same reading you are doing around a month back. Now, don't change the topic. How did you get to third year so fast? Did you take the end of second year test?"

I said "Yes Martha, I took the second year test. I scored 87% on it and here is my result sheet. Don't worry. I don't know how I got through it so fast. I was always somewhat decent when I wanted to learn something new and put in effort but I did not think it would be this fast. It is new for me but hey, I get to be a pokemon trainer faster so no complaining. Also, its not half a day. I read yesterday night for a few hours and today the whole day so far. I intend to finish all five years by the day after so in three days we can give the trainer's license."

She said "That is fast. The first time I learnt it, it took me about two weeks to finish this manual since it is a pretty basic manual teaching everyone the basics of how to handle pokemon in brief. Which pokemon are you aiming for?"

I said "I am not aiming for any pokemon. I just want a license as fast as possible so that I can capture a Pidgey from outside. I always wanted to fly on a Pidgeot. I am ok with whatever starter pokemon I get." I had this strange fascination with Pidgeots. They were insanely fast, and very strong physically. They could also learn some kick ass moves. Sure, they were weak to electric types and ice types and rock types but so what. Every pokemon had weaknesses and the Pidgeots were generally fast enough to dodge most attacks. Also, they looked majestic. Finally, there is something to be said for riding over a Pidgeot very fast. Something that not even the fastest roller coasters can give you. I was afraid of heights since I could not control what would happen if I fell, but sometimes the risk was worth it and we need to overcome our fears to be successful. One such incident was rappelling down alongside a waterfall. That was one memorable experience. Diving while on the back of the Pidgeot will definitely be another one of those.

Martha smiled and said "But surely you have some pokemon in mind?"

I said "Sure, I like fast pokemon that can hit hard. I don't mind if I have to train them up but that is the style of pokemon I prefer. Pokemon that can attack quicker, react quicker, and hit hard."

Martha said "Nice, then you should be able to aim for a 75% plus. That is where most of the somewhat rarer fast pokemon are. The higher you go, the rarer they are."

I said "See that is the thing. I do not care about a pokemon being rare. I believe every pokemon is awesome. I just need the pokemon to be willing to work. I will get it to be strong enough to do whatever both of us want to do."

Martha looked surprised and said "So you don't want rare pokemon?"

I looked at her and said "Nothing like that. I would not say no to rare pokemon. But I am not wasting my time actively hunting for them. I believe even not so rare pokemon can grow that strong. Rare pokemon are somewhat difficult to beat because people don't generally know much about them. That is all."

Martha smiled and said "Sure, I hope you are done. I will schedule the test in three days?"

I said "How much advance notice do you need to schedule the test?"

She said "I will need a day."

I said "Sure. If everything progresses the way it should, then I will tell you day after regarding whether to schedule the test or not, is that fine?"

Martha nodded and said "I am going to change. Is dinner ready?"

I said "Yea it is. I'll set it up. We can eat once you are changed and freshened up. Then I can get back to reading."

Martha just shook her head and went to her room. I got off the PC and set up the table for dinner. I put the food in the microwave to heat it up and just about set everything on the table when Martha came back in shorts and a loose black T-shirt.

We ate, she worked on some files on the table in her room while I went back to reading. She had brought me the list of groceries available and I decided to look through them before sleeping.

And this was how my day continued for the next two days. I gave Martha the groceries list. I spent some time in the morning also reading before she got up. At the end of the second day, I was done with my preparations for the trainer's license. I gave a mock test and scored an 86% there.

There was really no surprise since it was a very basic guide which said that one had read up more on each of the pokemon in detail. It gave out basic pokemon questions like what to do when poisoned, what item heals paralysis, what item heals sleep, how to avoid wild pokemon, why to not move out of the established roads etc. There was nothing serious about the pokemon itself except some very basic stuff like evolutions and types. Also, there were type advantage and disadvantage questions. These were questions that I could easily answer.

The parts where I did not score were the parts regarding specific pokemon themselves i.e how to identify them, how to differentiate between male and female etc. These were what differentiated the high tier scorers from the normal ones but then again, I was too eager to read and prepare for one of the three top starters and my score was good enough that I could get the second level of starters which had the likes of Abra, Ponyta, Rhyhorn etc.

I told Martha to set the test for the day after where tomorrow would be simple revision. I was all hyped up and although Martha seemed a little unconvinced, that changed when she saw my score on the mock test. She made me take another and I scored a 89% there. They asked easier questions that I could answer and she was happy with that. She said if I was willing to take the test she would get it set. I told her I was and she got the test set.

The day of the test went very easily. As predicted, it was not very hard and although it was hard to get above 95%, I managed to get a decent 87% which was in the second tier. I got a very basic license and they asked me what pokemon I would like. I asked them if I could request a pokemon from them later? They said sure and that was how I managed to get myself a trainer's license. Next stop was to somehow catch myself a Pidgey. I did not want to waste their offer on a simple Pidgey. I was not sure what pokemon I could get from nearby. I wanted to get some pokemon from nearby, see how my style is evolving and then request for a pokemon that would complete my style.

Martha agreed. I asked her "Is it possible for me to get a Pidgey? And a pokedex?"

She said "A pokedex you will get only when you are ten years old and collect a starter. You have to collect a starter by the time you are ten. A Pidgey should not be a problem though. There are a few Pidgeys that are in the pokemon centre back home. One of them would probably be willing to be trained since they get injured by attempting to train themselves. You can always ask."

I said "Then we are done for the day. Since I do not have the pokedex, how will I know what moves my pokemon knows? Or more about it's details?"

She smiled and said "It is interesting. You don't. There was never a case were someone gave the license early. Usually people had to read for it and then give it at ten. They are usually then given the pokedex. You unfortunately are not ten so even with a pokemon trainer's license, you are not legally an adult and thus cannot be given a pokedex."

I said "That is not fair. So, I will not know what moves my pokemon know?"

She said "Yes. You can always have the list of moves that a pokemon is supposed to know because now the individual pokemon encyclopaedia is available. But you do not know what moves your pokemon know when you catch them. That will have to be trial and error till you get your pokedex."

I pouted. There was something about being in a kid's body that made me more expressive. I did not even realise that I was being that expressive. Martha started laughing looking at my face and I pouted even more. She eventually stopped laughing and said "Come on. Lets get back."

I just sighed and went back thinking about what I would do once I got a Pidgey. There was just something about that line that managed to thrill me. I was not a trainer who would restrict myself to a single type of pokemon. I never was that type of trainer and never will be that type of trainer. But A Pidgeot was just thrilling. It looked majestic in real life. I used to watch a lot of videos in the lion whisperer channel in YouTube where Kevin was chilling with lions and lionesses. They were extremely majestic and cute. While still having their lethality. It was hard to believe after seeing them that they could be lethal animals but once they growled it was possible. In my opinion, the Pidgeot line also was something like that. They were regal but one of the top predators in their zones.

It would be fun having one as a trainer. So many tricks and techniques that I can experiment and try to apply from the various fanfictions that I have read. This was going to be fun. I was lost in thought while sitting on Martha's bike when I saw a flash of orange in the bushes ahead. I asked Martha to slow down instantly, and she did. While we were slowly going forward, I saw the orange again. It looked like something was lying down on the ground.

I said "Martha, there is something there on the ground. I want to see what it is. Can you stop?"

Martha looked uncertain saying "We do not have pokemon with us Akhil, it is not a good idea to stop. We should move."

I said "But that orange pokemon is on the floor looking like its asleep. If it is asleep we will leave it and walk away, if not it might need help."

Martha sighed and said "I am not going to be able to convince you am I?"

I said "No, now lets go. We will be careful."

She sighed as she watched me jump off her bike and head into the bushes. I slowly went into the bushes where I saw the orange pokemon on the ground and I was surprised to see a Growlithe on the ground. It looked battered. Had a few open injuries. I was surprised, and I knew that I had to be careful. An injured animal, be it a pokemon or a human or even an animal in the old world, was a very dangerous thing as they would strike without warning in an attempt to protect themselves. So very carefully and slowly I walked around to the front of the Growlithe. I saw Martha come to where I was previously standing. As I started moving, I heard Growlithe growl but it was too tired to turn towards me. That did not bode well.

I said "Relax Growlithe. I am not here to harm you. I am just coming to the front so you can see me. Do not make any sudden moves Martha." Saying this, I continued walking to get in front of it. I did not know if pokemon understood humans but they seemed to. I would go with the assumption that they did somehow understand our language despite having their own language to communicate in.

I managed to get in front of the Growlithe with some distance between us. Throughout this scenario, I kept my eyes on Growlithe and could see that it was very injured. I could also see that the pokemon was looking at me through its eyes, a deep brown seeming to assess me but very tired and wary to do so. I said "You are injured very badly, and I am assuming you cannot move much otherwise you would have turned to face us. I cannot help you here in any manner. I am a pokemon trainer and can catch you though. Let me catch you so that I can get you to a doctor who can help you. I promise to release you afterwards if that is what you want me to do. Is that ok?"

Throughout this, I could see the expressions change on Growlithe's face. The first and most obvious expression was distrust, the second was a desperate caution, as I spoke about its injury the expression changed to something sad, then when I spoke about catching it the expression changed back to heavy caution and finally when I asked told it that I would release it if it didn't want to stay, the expression changed to surprise before taking on a calculating look.

Seeing that I said "Look, I am serious. I do not have other interests. I will catch you, give you to a doc who can heal you. Once done, I will release you if you want me to. But I cannot leave you here. This will be done even if you don't like it Growlithe. I cannot leave a pokemon to die but I also do not want to make you feel as if I am going to hurt you. Are we clear?"

Growlithe nodded because it was too tired to do anything else. It needed to get its injuries checked. I saw this and then asked Martha "Do you still have a pokeball with you?"

Martha nodded and handed one to me. I walked up to Growlithe and saw that there was an undercurrent of tension in its body. I said calmly "You are hurt and I am not used to throwing pokeballs. I do not want to injure you further. I will come to you and tap the pokeball lightly on your head. Do not fight it." Then I walked up to Growlithe and tapped the pokeball on Growlithe's face. It dinged with a capture instantly. I looked at Martha and said "I think now it is time for us to rush to the pokemon centre back home. Don't you think?"

Martha looked as if she had seen something alien. She just nodded and then came back to life and said "Let's go." She turned back to run to her bike and I followed to sit behind her. It was a silent and tense trip back to Marko village. Once we reached, Jenny did not wait at the usual place and drove the bike directly to the pokemon centre. When we reached, I instantly jumped off and rushed to nurse Joy and said "Nurse Joy, we have a very injured Growlithe that we found on our way here. Please take care of it."

Joy just looked at me, then jenny whom she caught nodding and then said "Sure. Chansey, come collect this pokeball. We have a severely injured pokemon on our hands. I'll give you an update when I can." Saying this, she went inside and all I could do was wait in the lobby with Martha. She came up to me and said "Good job, also congrats on catching your first pokemon, even if you might release it. I'll talk to Hale regarding a Pidgey for you tomorrow. Now I have got to get back to work, are you staying here?"

I said "Yea, I will probably wait for an update regarding the Growlithe before I come back home. I might not have dinner ready."

She just nodded and said "I understand. See you when you get back.". Saying this, Martha left to get back to her police duties and I was waiting in the pokemon centre for some good news.


End file.
